Welcome to Texas justice: You might beat the rap, but you won't beat the ride.

Thursday, May 03, 2007

TYC Conservatorship By The Numbers

Now that Texas Youth Commission Czar Jay Kimbrough has made most complaints about his agency secret, for now at least all we'll get to see about what's going on at TYC (besides updates from friendly TYC staff commenters!) will come from official pronouncements like a conservator's progress report released yesterday. (Here's a pdf version.)

The document offers a snapshot of the TYC Czar's current thinking about the agency and an overview of what's been done so far in the name of reform. It includes 56 recommendations, many of which will be familiar to Grits readers and 11 of which the agency says have already been implemented.

Without comprehensively examining the report, I noticed a couple of interesting stats about TYC that are worth mentioning. For starters, Juvenile Corrections Officers have the highest turnover rates of comparable state employees in 2006, says Kimbrough (p. 8):

Juvenile Correctional Officers: 47.0%

TDCJ Correctional Officers: 23.8%

Parole Officers: 12.3%

DPS Troopers: 4.5%

Game Wardens: 2.1%

Accountants: 6.8%

I guess game wardens must have a cushy job if they're less likely leave than accountants!

Appendix B of the report (p. 24-25) lists 13 people arrested since the agency was put into conservatorship in March - mostly staff but also several youth. The report also contained some top-line information about complaints received by the much-ballyhooed hotline set up after the West Texas scandal was outed:

As of April 27, 2007, the TYC command post has received 2,972 calls and complaints. To date, investigators have reviewed and closed 1,463 of the cases. Youths, parents and others were encouraged to call with information regarding any incident or issue. The calls involved issues dating back years and include duplicate reports related to the same incident. The most common types of calls and complaints received have been:

Information only (867)

Staff misconduct (683)

Assault of an offender by staff (553)

Sexual misconduct by staff (359)

Assault of an offender by another offender (235)

The facilities most often named in the calls and complaints are:

McLennan State Juvenile Correctional Complex (431)

Giddings State School (299)

Marlin Orientation & Assessment Unit (254)

Ron Jackson State Juvenile Correctional Complex in Brownwood (244)

John Shero State Juvenile Correctional Facility in San Saba (226)

Corsicana Residential Treatment Center (218)

Crockett State School (203)

West Texas State School in Pyote (178)

Al Price State Juvenile Correctional Facility in Beaumont (149)

Gainseville State School (139)

Victory Field Correctional Academy in Vernon (127)

Evins Regional Juvenile Center in Edinburg (122)

These only reflect complaints filed, and the data isn't weighted for the different facility sizes. There's no way to know how many are true or what can be made of the data. Offhand, it's interesting that Evins came in so low, when it's been one of the facilities most criticized even prior to the recent allegations of sexual abuse out in Pyote.

While we're on the subject of official reports, here's a more in-depth report (pdf) from the Joint Select TYC Oversight Committee that includes as attachments many of the major documents (state auditors report, etc.) that have come out so far.

One of the most striking items I noticed skimming this document were results from a TYC employee survey conducted in March. Asked whether they agreed or disagreed with the statement, "Overall, employees are treated with respect and dignity at this agency," a startling dichotomy arose that I think many regular TYC employee commenters won't find surprising - 65% of managers agreed with the statement, while only 43% of employees agreed. In all, 57% of staff disagreed with that statement, compared with 34% of managers.

So bottom line, most TYC employees don't feel they're "treated with respect and dignity." I know, I know - you guys are shocked, aren't you?

"These only reflect complaints filed, and the data isn't weighted for the different facility sizes. There's no way to know how many are true or what can be made of the data. Offhand, it's interesting that Evins came in so low, when it's been one of the facilities most criticized even prior to the recent allegations of sexual abuse out in Pyote".

The reason many of the facilities show low numbers is because most of their students are threatened or have their grievances thrown away. Has it not bothered anyone else the grievance system process hasn't changed? The students and staff still do it the same way they always did. The only other option is now the phone number is plastered everywhere. All the staff has to do is deny the phone call. The Superintendents look good if things look like there nothing is wrong. Those facilities showing fewer than 250 have some pretty "tame" grievances for the ones that do come it. Since they are "filtered" by the Superintendents, they only let a bad one in every now and then. And, then for the "bad" ones that came in, the Superintendents got to control which Investigators looked into it. Quite a great system eh?

Grits, please recall what the politicians stated back when this first broke. We need proper training, facilities that are smaller and closer to big cities, and the JCO staff need a raise.

Lets see, training was not just 80 hours as was stated and this was a lie from day one. 40 hours 1st week, 40 hours 2nd week, 80 hours of shadowing a tenured staff, 40 hours of behavior group training, 32 hours of Resocialization training. I believe this covers 232 and this does not include dorm and policy update training, OC training, and other miscellaneous training.

Last time I checked we will not have any new construction for smaller TYC facilities.

No mention of a pay raise for JCO staff, but at the end of the session if any appropriations are left we will give you a 2.5% raise. Morale problems and these are the folks making a difference. Please look at all the promises and what needed to be fixed and see what they have actually taken care of. Do we really need elected officials, this is as bad as informing Central Office that a Administrator in West Texas is having sex with young boys and nothing is done about it. Maybe during the next session. Everything takes two years before these folks remember something like a sex scandal, pay raise, smaller facilities.

Newp I'm not.... I see clear sky's coming... just hang and you'll see. It's not going to happen overnight…..but now it looks like we are going to be funded and the sky is blue.

I am most certainly optimistic at what I'm seeing and the ideas that are flowing. These direct care staff are going to love and embrace what's coming their way, and in return, those kids will benefit. Plans are on-going, but it looks real good for those JCO's.

Anyone JCO have a “Super Tuesday?” They paid the JCO overtime. You worked for it, and you earned it. It lags a month so I bet we’ll see more happy faces next month. So, someone’s calling in sick? I’ll cover that – no problem. Bank it folks. Bet that was a bonus…. And there’s more coming…..

you are wrong 7:01. The complaints are entered in the superintendents office but what the law enforcement personnel are finding almost in their entirety on these campuses is that allegations were getting entered, they were being investigated, and folks were being dealt with. These certified peace officers from three different agencies are learning the same lesson. very little was covered up. The end will result will speak for itself and many a TYC staff can't wait for that ice to break. I hope everyone can handle the truth. If it were anything else, why haven't any administrators been walked out the door yet. Fact is none for what you speak of.

7:45- What's about to change? Unless you are talking about Kimbrough, Owens and his crew getting out and leaving us the hell alone you don't know what you are talking about. Things are just going to get worse, much worse if they stay.

8:43- You are full of crap. I know it happens. I have seen it and watched others do it. Complaints disappear right and left. You are lying or covering up for someone or don't have any idea what happens in the real world. Shut up unless you can speak for me and what I've seen. You can't so shut the hell up and quit trying to make it sound like it works like it should.

8:43 I hope you have reported what you have seen and if you have then you have every right to tell someone to shut the hell up. But if you haven't reported what you have seen then you are as much a problem as those who are doing it and you need to close your trap and move on.

I'll I said was you were wrong, you don't have to curse and degrade someone. I know alot more than you think, and I'm sorry you work in the one hell whole the agency has. We are here to work out problems and every night instead of brainstorming and working together people start belittling one another. don't forget we are on the same team. Oh. and thank you 8:55 I feel like a rescued damsel.

I bet those employees who answered that survey saying they thought management didn't treat them respect are beginning to realize they didn't know what they meant - now that the new management takes every opportunity in the newspaper to make us look like we are idiots who can't do anything right.

9:16 I don't need any pill. I just get irate when people come on here and tell me I am wrong and don't know what I'm talking about. Like they can speak for the whole TYC like it's a big ice cream sunday and nothings wrong. I know what I've seen! I reported it to these new investigators and nothing has changed. I have every right to be mad and curse or yell at anyone who tries to tell me I don't know what I'm talking about.

if you know complaints are being "destroyed," why don't you just help the youth send their complaints directly to Central Office so they can be registered and acted on? There are still good employees in Central Office, too.

anon at 8:41 "Super Tuesday" come on, I am a JCO staff and the 120 hour overtime check after taxes with my regular pay is crap. Lets get real, I spend no time with my family, I had to pull out of school based upon the fact I never know when I will have to pull a 12 hour shift. The way I see it the agency and the State would save a helluva allot of money if they would just give us a 6.5% pay raise. But they would rather allow OT to be racked up just like TDCJ and the pot will go broke this is poor management any way you look at it.

1. Are you an individual that just wants to hunker down and weather the storm? Or, are you -

2. The individual that saw the storm coming, planned accordingly, never-second guessed the thought the storm was upon us, and had the wherewithal to plan for the destruction and dream of a better agency?

We have a shanty house. We're thinking mansion.

If you're still stuck on shore, we are out to sea... you might want to think about getting on the stick.

9:45 - I think we have to be a little bit of both of those to make it through these times.

I just hope the "new management" really leaves at the end of May or starts to realize there are a lot of us still here with the same goal that put us in this field in the first place - changing kids lives. We need to be informed and taken care of if there is going to be anyone with any institutional knowledge left to try to make this the new and improved TYC.

Please, whoever is the one who sees the light at the end of the tunnel (just hope it ain't the train)... that you ray of sunshine isn't Alan Steen returning to the agency, because he could be as bad as Chester or Dwight.

9:24 and 9:23 You both are sitting here all high and mighty like you know everything. You don't. "Let's get back to the business of taking back the agency". Who are you trying to kid or fool? You think you know how to fix this? Then fix how grievances work! And how the hell do you know that I haven't sent in student's complaints for them? See, you sit here and twice someone's told me to do something I've already done! I have sent them in! And to sit there and say I'm hiding behind a keyboard- so are you both since you're anonymous too! And no! I don't work at Crockett!

The person who dreams of being out at sea must not be a JCO, hell we cant take time for putt-putt golf and this person is talking about about deep sea fishing.

And please don't remind me that once upon a time you were a JCO or that you aspire to be one, pull your head back into the shell it creped from and keep dreaming.

I am sure we all have a dream that one day we receive leadership that cares for the plight of the honest working man/woman that place honesty and integrity above all else, and rules by conviction and not a photo op.

To 10:10- You just suggested that a person within TYC who is trying to do the right thing should quit. Is that your solution? Should all the people in TYC trying and who really want the agency to run like it should just quit? I would suggest being careful in what you suggest to others. You may just wind up with that result. Who would that leave you with in "trying to take back TYC" (if that was your post)? She/he sounds very angry but can you not understand where the anger is coming from? I hear frustration that the new administration claims great improvement and he/she isn't seeing any change in the first step it takes to make TYC better (the ability of students/staff to report complaints).Pinpoint

Naw, never been caught...and if I had I might be related to the governor or have some old pictures from the Lago Vista days... Shoot, can't use them anymore they done fired everyone I had dirt on. ;-),

I think they can, have, and will continue. I've never even been close to filing one myself....until 2007. I'm watching training schools become more and more dangerous each day as a result of what we are presently doing. I do not agree and cannot accept that every administrator we have is sadist, every complaint filed by youth or staff for that matter is valid. there just isn't a one size fits all or panacea for what ails us. I can dialogue without cursing and asking people not to speak. I've been working in the agency with people who don't want to do their jobs for years. I don't expect that to change after the 80th leg..or the 100 leg.

Thank you Pinpoint! That's exactly why I'm mad! No, I'm not quitting this place. I've been here a long time and I'm just sick of other people messing it up. I'm sick of people who try and talk for everyone and I'm sick of people who lie. I'm so damn mad watching these new people saying they're making TYC better when they're not. Not a single thing that started this whole mess has changed other than the people who did it. There's a lot of things that need to be fixed but they're not the things anyone is paying attention to. They want to point fingers at people who never did anything wrong, change programs that work and then try and make it look like things are better. They aren't! Not for us! I want that old Eddie bumper sticker back but I want it changed to TYC- I'm mad as hell and I'm not going to take it anymore. But no sir, I'm not leaving. Change is going to happen all right. Even if I have to park my ass on Gov. Perry's steps, it's going to change.

Apology accepted 10:37. And I'm sorry for yelling at people to shut up. But please don't come on here talking like you know every single thing that happens in TYC and telling people they are wrong when you don't know. I am mad just like you are and just because you don't see the same things I do doesn't mean I don't know what I'm talking about.

if you have ideas on how to fix the youth complaint system, send them to the people working on that system - there are meetings happening involving TYC employees (not the new people) - how do you propose to fix them? Put your ideas somewhere, be it on here or sent to the people working on fixing the system - a lot of people read this and I bet your ideas will find the right place to at least be considered.

I saw that post. It sounded good except that's the problem. They're not going to do that since it will keep them from seeing what the students are complaining about. I bet you dollars to donuts they'll leave a way they can snoop and look.

I did give my opinion of how I think it could be changed and how to do it. I'm tending to agree with 11:06 at this point however. After seeing many of the steps and tactics the current administration is using right now, I'm seeing the likelihood of their implementing a corrupt free grievance system at about zero. Maybe they will surprise me. I would like very much to say I was wrong should they consider it.Pinpoint

Hey 10:51Here's the post Pinpoint did on the other string. Sorry Pinpoint, you didn't repost it here so I am so 10:51 can send it to this committee he's talking about. Here is one suggestion from someone here. Think they'll use it?

To 7:10 pmMy suggestion is that the grievance systems (both for employees and students) should be computerized. The cost of putting computers in a private location on each facility and allowing people the access and time is VERY doable. The cost would be minimal compared to its benefit. For students, the time provided to every student, every day can easily be worked into their daily routine. Not every student will want to file a complaint every day, so the time taken to do this would be manageable. But every student should be provided the opportunity every day. If necessary, even having them log into the computer and selecting an option that they do not wish to file one that day. Taking them to a location on each campus with several computers set up (with "their eyes only" views of their computer screens) is within the capabilities of every campus. It is my suggestion that the complaint system be formatted as a "drop down" or easy selection boxes to choose areas of complaints and provide all staff names that work at the facility in drop down form as well. Many students have difficulty spelling and writing so this would aid them in expressing their issues as well as making it less time consuming. An area for typing information should also be provided as well so they can put it in their own words if they so choose. Each location should have cameras capturing the area to ensure no one is violating the student's privacy, threatening him/her in any way and to prevent others from attempting to impersonate or tamper with the system. I do not suggest any printer for the student complaint area. This would prevent anyone from gaining access to what the student said. The student should have the option of sending a copy of his or her complaint to a folder or email account set up for them by the complaint agency. Every student in TYC should have their own account. Not a typical email account that they can send or receive messages from, only one to store their complaint information. The computerized complaint system for both staff and students should be developed, housed, maintained and monitored by an outside agency. The complaints received would be classified either as investigations of abuse and forwarded to law enforcement or as standard complaints and issued to grievance personnel to resolve.

Staff could access their own complaint computers set up in a private area within their facilities and have a printer available if they wanted to keep a copy. They should also be given the option of having a computerized personal account to keep copies of their complaints if they preferred not to have a printed copy. The format available to staff could also be in a drop down box format to make it easier and less time consuming. Complaints received would be handled in the same manner as the students- by outside people without agency affiliations.

Computers for both staff and students would serve no other function but to write complaints. No other programs, no internet capabilities or functions.

That is my opinion on how to have a complaint system that could actually work for both staff and students.Pinpoint

10:02If included in those numbers are grievances like the one the JCO staff posted a couple days ago then a lot of those are nothing even close to sexual abuse. The kid said she was being sexual to him by telling him to stop trying to be cute when he was being an turd to her.Kimbrough probably just included that to make himself look good like he has a purpose.

New kid on the blog -One of our staff is on the Hot Line committee with Owens and Pope. She reports they are working on a single hotline for STAFF and students to report assaults. As I understand it, staff will be able to pick up a phone and report student threats and assualts after an incident, in addition to the 225, etc.

Phone reporting? You mean like the Abuse hotlines like CPS or 911 has? Unless they are going to have all that technology behind them to record the calls, assign numbers and all that, that's not going to work. Like 12:27 said, even if they do it that way, if anyone in charge is connected to TYC or their buddies, those phone calls will just be ignored, erased or the recordings will just be forwarded to their buddies to let them know what's coming.

Damn. Here I figured staff would appreciate being included in the abuse hotline deal, especially since many have complained of assaults by youth that are ignored by the administration. But, instead the m.o. seems to be to sneer and poke holes in any and all attempts to remedy the problems.

If all of you are waiting for the very most perfect idea with no flaws to come along before you're willing to buy in to any suggestion for change, then you'll be waiting your whole lives. Good luck.

"la semeuse said... Damn. Here I figured staff would appreciate being included in the abuse hotline deal, especially since many have complained of assaults by youth that are ignored by the administration. But, instead the m.o. seems to be to sneer and poke holes in any and all attempts to remedy the problems."

Can you really blame anyone for not trusting these guys in charge to come up with something? They seem to be doing things that don't go in the best direction of the agency. Personally, I hope everyone says something if they see a way to poke holes into things. Then maybe they'll find a way to patch them so everyone can have some kind of faith in something.

Your right. I get sick of it too. No matter what anyone comes up with, they'll bitch and whine, and then when they're done attacking the issue, they'll get bored and start attacking themselves again and again...

Sounds like someone got their little feelings hurt because someone criticized something they were working on. Grow up. If you or the people making these new programs can't take criticism then let someone else do it that can. It's not personal buddy. If there's a hole, fix it. That's all.By the way, you bitched about them just like they bitched. Don't call the kettle black.

Well, I can tell you it wasn't me if there was! I saw more poetry was in the makes while I attended my Dogs funeral after the hunting accident... and it warmed my heart that you all were concerned that I may have been a causality because I wasn't writing poems. That's so touching, but it cracked me up! Classic TYC smartasses! lol!

Oh damn... that last string reached 100, this ones at 61... wow, pinpoint came up with a solution to the grievance system. There you go pinpoint... that's a very good example of bringing a problem to the table and offering a solution. Well done.

The joint committee met again today in regards to TYC and there medical services. It amazes me that the folks from UTMB and Texas Tech continue to point fingers at TYC and the location of the facilities. I remember back when TYC contracted out with local doctors and did not have half the problems, but it all came down to the State of Texas and saving money. This is the reason we went with UTMB and Texas Tech. This contract continues to stress out staff by having them drive 6 to 8 hours one way just to take a youth for treatment when the solution is to go back to local care, that is if our intentions are "Do whats best for the youth". The standard of care by these two contracted health care services have always been substandard and they do not put the youths interests first but rather the bottom line, how much money they can save while risking the care of the youth. And for those that state this cannot be done you are foolish and the youths care is not what you put first or the staff that have to work (drive) 20 hours or more to deliver these youth to either Lubbock or Galveston. It's funny how this was never mentioned.

Good to see you back Whitsfoe. I felt a pang of disappointment in having very few wanting to banter in your absence. Missed the poetry challenge as well.Thanks for the kind words on my grievance system suggestion. However, it looks like they already have something in the works according to previous posters. I'm tending to agree with posters 12:27 and 12:32 in their concerns about having issues reported by phone. There are many accountability factors to consider if it is going to be utilized. My concern is the access to the phones. Staff may have it as needed, but what about the students? A student cannot report something if a staff (corrupt) chooses to restrict their access. Staff could also have the ability to threaten or intimidate students while being present during the calls. Spoken words can be overheard. Typed words cannot (in the manner I suggested). In having a student speak their issues, it opens the availability of others to hear what they say, write it down, repeat it, forward it- in other words abuse it. That is my reasoning for proposing the computerized method. The integrity of the phone system is my concern.Again, sorry for the loss of your dog Whitsfoe. I will write a poem for you later on that.Pinpoint

Say, brain storm with me pinpoint; what do you think about inefficiencies.... what's getting in the way of sending these children home sooner? You may be on the front end of their arrival, but do you have any vision of them going home sooner, and by what process would you change? Feed me... I'd like to hear these ideas?

It’d be interesting to hear from all of you in this regard. I bet the ideas vary, but interesting nonetheless….

Child Care Professionals #1 in the field, if they do not all get fired.

Flat sentencing for all youth. The only way this can change would be a level hearing based upon set criteria, and approved by CO. (no more holding youth back based upon the ABC's). This would also have to include some carrots for the youth at facilities, for those youth that want to work the program

Throw out the 16 hour schedule. Right now it is so rigid, if you take a group to behavior group they have to stay in group for one hour, regardless if they have any behavioral issues or not. If you break early one of the assigned PDA staff report the dorm staff for breaking group early.

Go back to being and allowing group leaders to be spontaneous. We sue to take the youth outside for group on nice days to break the monotony, not anymore.

Consequences that deal effectively with those youth that assault peers and staff. Adding time and placing on a BMP is not and has not worked for some time. Those youth that meet the criteria for serious bodily injury that are 17 years or older need to be taken to jail and not brought back until the grand jury decides fate. Those youth that are below 17 need to be re-classified.

Campuses should not house more than 200 youth. Ratios need to be 1-8 and.

Hello, since I cant call you anything but ANON, I have no clue if Whitsfoe is Ray Brookins. Whitsfoe are you Ray Brookins?? Come out with your hands up, pull your pants up, no we cant adjudicate you to TYC, your gonna spend some time with the big boys.

Whoa. Looks like I missed some stuff off on my typing spree. Wow. I'm going to bed now, but Whitsfoe (whom ever you are), here is the response to your question. If you are Ray Brookins, you need to be praying to God right now. And, I will pray for you as well. I'm not being sarcastic. If you did those things, you're going to need God pretty badly.In response to your question:

"...what do you think about inefficiencies.... what's getting in the way of sending these children home sooner? You may be on the front end of their arrival, but do you have any vision of them going home sooner, and by what process would you change?"

First, let me clear up an incorrect assumption. I am not on the front end of their arrival. I am not a Marlin employee.I feel the “inefficiencies” are the inconsistencies from person to person (guard to guard, caseworker to caseworker, supervisor to supervisor, unit to unit), etc. There have been a lot of comments by the new administration about the inconsistencies between facilities in how they apply policy. I feel it should be narrowed down a couple steps from there. I feel the inconsistencies go person to person. It disturbs me greatly how one caseworker will fight tooth and nail to give a youth a level hearing (more time) for assaulting another student or staff, yet another caseworker in the same facility will make no effort to hold the student accountable in the only way the agency allows for such behavior. Both students and staff involved (and those watching) get mixed signals from their own coworkers and direct care staff. Those inconsistencies create strains on working relationships as well as any potential the agency has in appearing “fair and consistent” to offenders it is charged with rehabilitating. How can staff who are trying to do things by the book answer the question by a youth of why he got three to six months more time when another student who did the same thing did not?

Chuy- in response to what you said here: “Flat sentencing for all youth. The only way this can change would be a level hearing based upon set criteria…”, and “would also have to include some carrots for the youth at facilities, for those youth that want to work the program”

Set Criteria already exist on how, when, why etc. a student should receive a level hearing and it is not followed for the reasons I mentioned above. Policies can be remade over and over again, but if people are not going to be consistent with them, the same problems exist. Also, those “carrots” already exist as well. Every conceivable carrot has been dangled. The kids who want to “work the program” get them; others such as the student who professed to a reporter that crime was his life are not interested in “carrots”, regardless of what they are.

The root of the inconsistency problem in my opinion- supervisors not holding people accountable for not doing their jobs. There is too much favoritism but worse yet, too much apathy. How to change it all- have supervisors who actually do their jobs as policy tells them to do. If they don’t, fire them and hire someone who will.

Regarding Chuy’s other comments here:“Those youth that meet the criteria for serious bodily injury that are 17 years or older need to be taken to jail and not brought back until the grand jury decides fate. Those youth that are below 17 need to be re-classified”.I agree.Pinpoint

OK... there you go pinpoint. Good... see what happens when we dialogue... very good points like you just made come to surface, that is, until Fat boy "Chuy" comes along and disrupts the scene (he and Brookins are actually 'friends.')

Good night people... we'll banter another day.... (Chuy and I are friends so we are giving eachother the shit... parents please be advised)...

Has anyone else taken a look at the 'in depth' report from the joint committee??? I don't about you guys but we haven't seen most of these recommendations implemented yet and it's way past the target dates...does anyone else have a different student grievance clerk? As far as I know, that process hasn't changed and it seemed to be one the lege was particularly critical of - what's up with that? Frankly, I'm living for the end of May when none of these people will want to be bothered with us anymore. They will conveniently forget there was a problem and we'll all be left with the mess and whoever the Gov wants will be in charge...

It was brought to my attention not long ago that our facility had been contacted by the new folks in charge and were accused of preventing our youth from using the hotlines, because we didn't have many calls coming in. Security had to go around to each dorm and test the phones to ensure they were working. Although, the numbers are plastered everywhere, the youth I guess just didn't have much to report - HOWEVER, in recent weeks, the students have discovered that the phones are a great tool to use against staff - AS WE KNEW THEY EVENTUALLY WOULD. For the old timers, it's 'been there done that' but for the new guys, it's scary. But, this too shall pass. Overall the students' attitudes haven't changed much. They are concerned with the things they were concerned with before - phase 3 and 4 privileges, packets, release dates, etc. I think this is what has amazed me the most about all of this.

We're all just tired of all the @#*& - and yes I am a WTSS staff (just in case no one has guessed yet). You know, what frustrates us the most about all of this mess is that we were trying to get someone to help us with Brookins - and no one would listen. Hell, the Ranger couldn't even get anyone to listen after he completed his investigation (legislators included-you've all seen the media reports), and he's a Texas Ranger! Think about that one for a minute - pretty scary huh? Yes, our District Attorney is lazy, and we in the 143rd district have had to deal with him being lazy for years - this is another story unto itself and I won't go into it now. But it, too, just like the rest of this is SHADY POLITICS IN TEXAS! I ask that every TYC employee please remember these past 3-4 months when the next election rolls around and remind your family and friends of what we have been through - very few of these legislators deserve to be re-elected, and that will become even more obvious the closer we get to the end of the session. My great fear is that the public will forget and this lege will be back. PLEASE, we can never allow ourselves, our family or our communities to forget about this fiasco. O.K. I'm done for now - thanks to everyone for listening. Let's see if we can stick this out and prove them all wrong. We have changed lives for the better - you all know we have. If I have to leave this work, I can at least feel confident in that. Later:)

I agree with what you say about our elected officials, they need to go. Not one of them was shown the door but quite a few TYC have, not saying some did not deserve to be shown the door, but how many of our elected officials knew as much as our CO staff and I have seen no outcry to remove them.

One of them (Dutton) received a DUI in Austin 3 weeks ago and if that would have been a TYC staff he/she would have been fired.

I would like to see TYC staff unite (get out the vote)and actually make an impact upon our livelihoods rather than have these current Bozo's spout off about how they are here to help us.

I don't know about the rest of you TYC folks but I don't feel rescued, and I am not a damsel and never will pretend to be. VOTE THEM OUT

That's got my vote.... I'll be heading to Houston to personally campaign for Whitmire's opponent. And believe me folks, it's not just his brutality towards TYC that bothers me, he has been an abusive senator for a long, long time and he needs to go. You should have seen how he tore into senator Patrick last month.... after Patrick "lectured" Whitmire's "best friend." That was a joke and an utter embarrassment to this state.

Whisfoe, on the exchange between Whitmire and Patrick, the problem with your analysis is that Whitmire was right and Patrick was wrong. If he wanted to make massive cuts - including NINE figures in drug treatment funds - he should have proposed it to the Finance Committee. It's REAL grandstanding, worse IMO than Whitmire's variety, when you hand it out to the media then wave them around on the floor when other members haven't even seen what you're talking about. That's just common legislative courtesy.

My suggestion: Wait till the end of session to decide whose campaigns to work on in 2008 - you never know who will turn out to be the heroes and goats, and the Dean of the Senate could still surprise you. He's certainly a critical piece on the conference committee to maximizing TYC pay hikes! best,

I don't care what Patrick's "drop of the ball" was, Whitmire's performance in addressing the issue was just nasty, if not simply outrageous. That was a tell-tell of this guy. His demeanor was a little concerning, especially when the “dean” didn't have a clear line of thinking and was fumbling his words on Patrick’s retort.

Whitmire is an ass, and we won't forgive him. The "Dean" is now wearing a dunce’s cap. See you in Houston - Whitmire.

Well, Whitsfoe, welcome to politics! I worked for 68 political campaigns professionally before I started to do this policy work, and I never worked for a politician who wasn't full of themselves.

Think about it - by definition to decide to run for office you must believe that you should be the person in charge! They ALL think that, but you judge them by what they do, or don't do, not their petty conceits and CERTAINLY not what they say. If mere arrogance were enough to justify their ouster nobody would do anything but run candidates against incumbents. I'd rather work with whoever's there and try to change the law.

Besides, in reference to yesterday's hearing, the voters expect SOMEBODY to have asked "where were you?" He was harsh with the UTMB people and went on too long, but maybe it sent a message: Fear is a great motivator.

Those same guys run the adult health system, and by God SOMEBODY needs to put them on the hot seat! best,

On healthcare.... they, the ledge, put UTMB and TTMB in control in (1994-1995?)

We hated it then and we don't like it now. Those nurses used to be TYC employees, and the treatment those kids received then was much better than when UTMB and TTMB came on.

I have to give credit to TTMB, but not UTMB.

Go look at prior articles on UTMB's involvement in Dallas County in the DMN. They reported it two years ago. Same issues, different places... and who voted to approve that plan then, that's in effect now? Houston comes to mind...

The health care for the youth has been and will continue to be a joke. Back when TYC had their own Doctors (contracted locally) and nurses the system actually worked.

Who changed this system? I am sure Whitmires prints are all over it. This is what gets me, you chide the UTMB/Texas Tech folks but who placed then in this control?

If they had any integrity they would look at the old system and ty to bring it back. But it was not cost effective, but I guarantee you the staff loved it they were not placed in a situation where they had to drive 6 to 8 hours one way to take a youth for treatment.

On the healthcare issue...take a look at the video archive of the hearing on Friday if you want in on some interesting info. UTMB and Tech are trying to figure out how to get out of their contract (primarily UTMB-the lady from Tech didn't say much at all). I guess they've made their profit off of TYC and don't see anything in it for them anymore. Oh well...why am I not surprised. And all Whitmire wants to do is dog on WTSS. Good grief, give it a rest why don't you. It is interesting to note that he was asking for info on the WTSS medical services, and the lady who is over the region, Ms. Tally or something, stated she had been overseeing our facility for seven or eight years but had never even met our contract psychiatrist. Hell, I don't even work with the guy and I know him! What is up with this? Even more interesting was the info from the Brownwood nurse about the youth on psych drugs who hadn't seen a psychiatrist since January??? Hell, we're in bum #$%&@ Egypt according to some - and we manage to get a psychiatrist out here. I'm sure I don't know what all is involved with contract personnel, but geez, we did alot better than this when the medical staff was our own...I agree with UTMB on one thing - we need to let you out of your contract - we can do better!

We not only need better health care, but we need better training for staff to recognize medical issues that can mimic "bad behavior". I saw a staff restrain a kid thinking he was out of control but he was having a seizure. The kid was marching and got out of the line and was yelling and throwing his arms around, kind of wobbly. The staff retrained him thinking he was trying to run for the fence. We were yelling at the staff to get off of him and to call the infirmary. The guy finally got off of him but it was heartbreaking to see this kid treated like he was doing something wrong when he didn't even know what was happening. I've seen other kids who have the "blank stare" seizures and staff think they're being disrespectful in not responding. I've even seen a kid in security that went off in a non-stop raging, crying and yelling of incoherent babble for over 10 minutes. He was on the floor rocking and drooling. I was the only one in a room of 6 other staff who had any idea what was happening. The rest just told him to be quiet or he was going to be written up and kept longer for failing to follow security rules.Staff have no idea how different seizures can look. What is bad is that obviously these kid's medications aren't being adjusted because no one is documenting the seizures because they don't recognize them as anything other than bad behavior.

Grits and all of you TYC staff, have you read todays Austin American Statesman, page A-6? It has a picture of Ray Brookins and the headline is "Accused Administrator (Ray) failed polygraph years ago".

Apparently while employed with TDCJ Ray had inmates perform oral sex on him for favors. Ray failed two polygraph tests and two inmates passed theirs.

TDCJ states TYC did not ask for this information prior to hiring him. And you think we have problems. If you have knowledge that one of your Captains who is employed for you is applying to work with Juveniles is it not your obligation to inform them, if not by policy but morally?

This whole charade might never have happened if TDCJ would have done something back when all this occurred but did nothing. I guess it was their way of getting rid of a bad apple, too bad so many people at TYC had to pay the price for TDCJ's sins.

Can we not open this up and dig just a little deeper, I am sure we would find more skeletons in someones closet.

The officials at TDCJ, all of them that allowed this should be walked out like the ones at TYC, I am not sure if any TYC staff used the excuse "They did not ask so we did not tell" but apparently it is working for TDCJ personnel!!!!!!

First they sent us Brookins, now they sent us Owens. Hell, at least the papers told us Owens had his own sexual abuse cover up in TDCJ. I guess as long as it's public knowledge, the lege and Perry think it's ok to have him in charge of our agency. I guess when Kimbrough takes off, they're going to leave us Owens in charge of it all since TDCJ isn't going to want him back either. Thanks TDCJ for giving us your pervs. and corrupt, we were so short of them on our own. They need to make us little tubs of vaseline to hang on our TYC badges we wear every day. At least we would have a little lube when we get screwed on a daily basis.

"Twelve years ago, similar accusations were made against Brookins while he was a Texas prison guard. He denied them and kept his job, though he failed two polygraph tests. Two of his accusers — prisoners at the Cotulla Unit south of San Antonio — passed theirs, according to newly disclosed investigative reports obtained by the American-Statesman."

Brookins sould have been fired from TDCJ back then. If they had done their job then, we wouldn't be discussing this today. And now watch, as the current leadership fires more executives, they'll be replaced by TDCJ personnel. That's just peachy.

It should have been reported to us when his employment verification was requested. This is exactly how we got Brookins...I knew it...I knew the perv was perv when he was with TDCJ and I just knew it would come out eventually. I cannot believe TDCJ didn't think TYC needed to know about these accusations before we hired him. Good Lord, how could they NOT pass along that information even IF we didn't specifically ask for it????? Someone please wake me up from this nightmare! And now here we are with Moriarty leading the OIG investigations going on in OUR agency and he says TDCJ didn't pass along pervert information becase WE DIDN'T ASK FOR IT!!! WHATEVER - and the lege is worried about TYC?? I think TDCJ needs some attention. And now we have their executive team creeping into TYC one by one. This is almost getting to be funny - I need to write a book and I'll even us spell check. A screenplay might be better:)

"Copies of the reports show that in June 1995, while Brookins was a guard captain at Cotulla, an inmate accused him of engaging in oral sex in the prison barber shop. Four others claimed Brookins had made sexual overtures to them.

Polygraph tests were administered to the convicts. Two registered as untruthful and one was inconclusive, according to the report. But two others were shown as truthful: the prisoner who alleged he had exchanged oral sex with Brookins and another who said Brookins asked him to watch videotapes with him."

Ok, I'm getting sick and tired of this political double talking stuff. Victory Field was listed in the fiscal notes of HB 2807 on April 9 I believe along with Marlin and John Shero as the facilities that were targeted for closure. We contacted our Representative, Rick Hardcastle, and were told that listing Victory Field was a mistake and shouldn't have been in there. I suspected that the mistake was not that we were targeted for closing, it was actually listing us that was a mistake. I'm sure they would rather not list anyone but leave us all in the air so we couldn't raise cain about it. The bill now says that due to the reduction in incarcerated youth, some facilities would be closed. Which I suspected corrected the statement that we were not supposed to be listed. Well, now we aren't but we have no idea just who's on their mind. It could be anybody. He also told us that we were funded for two more years at least. I felt he wasn't being dishonest about his statement, he just might be leaving something out which is something I see politicians and people in power do all the time. They don't necesserily lie, they just don't tell the whole truth by leaving important details out. This sounds like one of the thinking errors we teach the students to recognize. So we could be funded for the next two years but we're going to close anyway. Nobody seems to know what's going on or they are just keeping their mouths shut about what they do know. In Sunday's Statesman, the following is printed. "Two already have been identified in the proposed state budget for conversion to adult prisons: the Marlin Orientation and Assessment Center and the John Shero State Juvenile Correctional Facility in San Saba, both of which began life as adult lockups.

Officials confirmed the latest targets for closure could include the remote Sheffield Boot Camp, 100 miles south of Midland, and the Victory Field Academy near Wichita Falls, a site whose two-story design has drawn complaints that it is unsuited for use as a prison. As a replacement, legislative leaders are privately discussing the possibility of opening a lockup near Houston, home to nearly one in four of the state's incarcerated youths."

That looks pretty clear to me that VFCA is still targeted to close and somebody seems to know it. Officials confirmed??????? Which officials??????? I'm guessing that they don't want to tell us because they don't want us to take jobs somewhere else and beat them to the punch. They just want to leave us hanging until they're ready and then hit us with the news when it's convenient to them. This is nuts. When one looks at the problems that are occuring across the state, VFCA is way down the list and their TABE scores are at or near the top showing that the students are getting a good education yet they are on the list for closure and West Texas who is as remote as they get and can't staff the correctional care folks much less the teachers and have had all these troubles aren't. This just doesn't make sense. I've even heard that the local people have offered to build 2 new state of the art dorms at VFCA to help keep it open yet we're still targeted. We need some representation in the House and Senate who care about us. Apparently our Senators/Representatives are looking out for other things instead and then giving us the run around about these issues. It doesn't seem that they are watching out for us at all. We have to find these things out, then call them and then they have to think about it a day or two before they can come up with some other lie wrapped around a little truth. I just hope and pray that VFCA stays open. We're doing lots of good things for kids and deserve it.

You've got to be kidding me. Now after all the hoopla of people being afraid to come forward with information about the goings-on in TYC, they want to make it an AT WILL agency? They must be out of thier minds. Does anyone think that an employee of that agency would want to even suggest that someone in power in that "good old boy" (it still is, just different good old boys now) agency is doing something wrong if that goes through? Let me see, I can hear it now. Oh No, this has nothing to do with you turning in my good old buddy for doing anything to one of those children. We simply don't need your services anymore. Have a nice life. One other thing. Do they really think that their anonymous survey of staff really means anything? It was bad enough just looking at the number of employees who didn't trust the supervisors or the people at C.O. When you realize that they gave you a log in password that was yours alone, do these people (who by the way nobody trusts) really think that the employees would be foolish enough to let the world know what they really think about the people in power knowing they gave them this password that they could track if they wanted to? It's astounding that so many of them even took the chance of saying they didn't trust them. I'd say it's much, much higher than the results of the survey. Now if they could somehow get a real anonymous survey they'd see that the employees in the trenches don't trust them at all, period. I think their lack of trust has made them so paranoid that they'd never get the truth out of them for fear of retaliation no matter how they conducted the survey. And now "at will" with the final answer being TYC. Like I said, You must be kidding. Wake up and smell the coffee. If you think the kids were mistreated before, just hang on. Nobody and I mean nobody will report anything about someone like Brookins or Hernandez or anyone with any power or who might have friends with power. Everybody is going to become blind, deaf and dumb. Let me see, how did Ollie North say it.....I don't recall? That sounds like a pretty good answer to me if anyone asks if you were aware of any incident. Come to think of it, I don't even recall typing this blog entry and I haven't even submitted it yet. I guess it was bound to happen. Memory loss is just one of those things that happens.

I still want someone to asnwer to the Brookins scandal at TDCJ, and the allowing him to molest youth. If TDCJ would have done their jobs this man would not have been allowed to molest children. Talk about a law suit, parenst are you listening, include TDCJ as well as TYC when you file, they are just as culpable.

You're just now noticing the "at will" part of Hinojosa's grand plan? If you read further, you'll see that the ombudsman and the chief IG are "far cause only." Evidently, they deserve more protection than the rest of us.

5/7 @ 3:58pm, I'm with you on that. It's funny to me that we keep reading bits and pieces of the bill all over the place and nobody every mentions that everyone is getting ready to be "at will". I believe they are trying to slip that one in on us. Well, the cat is out of the bag and we'd better get on the phones, emails, etc to the people at the legislature and get that amended out of there or a lot of people are going to be sorry. The people I know with power are all shady enough to send you packing at the slightest thing you do that they don't agree with. I wouldn't have to be much of anything, just something they didn't want to hear and there's not a darn thing you could really do about it. Hopefully the people in the legislature have figured out that administration in TYC can't be trusted in the least and this will just pave the way for a dictator type relationship in this agency with supervisors running over people even when they are correct in what they may be doing. I agree, there isn't anybody who wants to stay employed that will come forth with information for fear of losing their jobs. It's pretty hard proving that you were fired illegally or as retaliation even if you were up to hiring a lawyer while you were unemployed. Pray for us all that this doesn't stay in the bill. Start the phones ringing and emails going right now or suffer the consequences. Let them know we'll do whatever we can to see that they continue to work in the legislature "at will" if they don't get it out of there and then got to the polls and remove them if they don't. They do have to answer to the voters you know.

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